We humans, are creatures of comfort. Once we find a cozy spot we want to curl up and stay there where it feels safe and non-threatening. Sounds good? Well… read on.

This tendency to be safe and comfy can really be your worst enemy if you are a small business owner. Sometimes the safe comfy place is not where you need to be.

I recently realized that owning my own businesses have been the most intense personal development program I could ever imagine. It has pushed me  kicking and screaming into confronting my fears and feelings of inadequacy, like nothing else ever could. Painful but incredibly rewarding.

Taking risks and getting out of my comfort zone is what has allowed me to go from nothing to owning a successful small business.

If you are afraid of change it’s ok as long as you are willing to do it anyway. Change only feels scary because it is unfamiliar or insecure. But just about everything in owning a small business has an aspect of these feelings. Of course you would rather keep focusing on the areas that  feel easy. These three questions will help you to look at where you need to go next in your business.

• Look at what you need to do but are afraid to do.

• Notice where do you feel not confident?

• What areas of your business do you resist?

These three questions are clues for you. Answer them and then come up with a plan to overcome these obstacles and you will fly forward toward greater success.

One positive change I am making in my business for 2009 is to hire an assistant for a few hours a week to help with the stuff I am not getting done. I have started making a list of those jobs as they come up. I almost have a whole job description now.  What is my fear associated with this?  Money.  Will it pay for itself?  Do I have the money to pay this extra expense?  Just past that fear is a knowing that this will allow my business to grow to the next level.

What change will you make this next year and how will this take you out of your comfort zone? What is the part of your business that feels less comfortable?

It’s the day before winter solstice and as well as being the darkest day of the year it is also the coldest! I have an article that was due yesterday and I am needing to get inspired. How does one get inspired out of a cold dark place?

For me it’s all about moving energy. So I got off the computer,  left my heater, bundled up in the warmest things I own, pulled on my boots and went out into the windy, snowy, cold day.

My little dog, Poppet, who is about 6 inches off the ground, didn’t have any problem at all. She just pranced around and couldn’t wait to get moving. In fact, she was impatient while posing for this photo. “let’s get on with it,” she said.

We walked all the way around the block. I felt like a real trooper. The cold air woke me up and I could feel the cobwebs in my brain dropping away.

When we got to the corner, the neighborhood kids were all paying in their yard, laughing and having so much fun making  snow balls and savoring every minute of the experience.

Aha, this is what’s it’s all about. Feeling free, passionate, alive, breathing and then coming inside and having hot soup. My brain is switched on again. How do you get yourself moving and keep the energy flowing?

At the end of each year I always take stock of the past year. It’s good to acknowledge what I have accomplished and to look at the importance of my own choices as well. For the past six months I’ve been doing some transformational healing work. It began on the physical level as I was experiencing some issues with my digestive system. I decided to make an appointment with a Chinese trained Acupuncturist. Beginning with the first session I felt that David was special. His presence in itself, is a catalyst for healing energies that have helped me to re-align on the deepest levels.

During my session last Friday I lay on the table after he worked on me and I saw this picture of a flowing stream with a partial dam of debris, leaves, sticks etc. that was keeping the water from flowing fully. I realized that my creative force at the source is fully alive, however at the other end there is a blockage when it comes to the water flowing freely out to the ocean of the world. So on the physical level it is about circulation and flow and is mirrored on the emotional and spiritual level.

What does this all mean to my business? It is actually a huge revelation because I tend to be somewhat challenged with organization and lots of ’stuff’ gets a bit blocked in my office. I am probably the opposite of  having OCD.  I do enough to “get away”  with it. To be fair with myself, it’s not this way all the time, so I am probably being a bit self-critical.  My dam isn’t blocked completely. There is a flow, but the flow could be so much stronger and more powerful.

I decided to look back over my life and do a quick assessment to see if I have lived this way with everything. In fact one area emerged that is an exception. This was in being a parent to my only son. I was self-employed when I got pregnant and worked for myself during his entire childhood. I never cut corners with parenting. I certainly had my moments of fatigue and frustration but being a good parent and raising a child to be an amazing adult was my highest priority. There was no such thing as “getting by.” It has to be done right or the results will stare you in the face literally.

At some point I did help him to go out into the world and he is now a grown-up shining fully all on his own.  I am constantly  reminded of what I great job I did when I look at him and what he is now doing himself. I truly feel blessed.

It is time to feel this way about everything I create and  intiate, and to allow all my creations to flow into the world as fully as this one. This is my new awareness that I take into the new year. It will also certainly be reflected in my new vision board for 2009.

Here are a few questions to consider.

1. What do you notice on the physical level that reflects the emoional or spiritual energies?

2. What kind of alignment needs to happen for you to make the next big jump in  your business?

3. Are you doing an end of the year assessment in your business?